What if
by psionicchef
Summary: This is what happens when I mess with Dana's storyline...A collection of incoherent stories


**What if...**

**Disclaimer:** "The L word" and its characters don't belong to me. They are property of their respective producers Ilene Chaiken and the broadcasting company Showtime. I don't make money out of this.

**Author's note:** "What if..." is a collection of incoherent stories based on Dana's storyline on the L word. One day I found myself wondering what would have happened if Dana hadn't broken up with Lara and had taken her to Shane's party instead, and though I didn't write it down then, this was somewhat of the beginning of "What if...", though it really did begin when I started writing "Two Geeks in Love".

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**#1.03 Let's do it: What if Dana had stopped Lara from leaving after the locker room kiss**

Toweling her hair with one hand while carrying her washbag in the other, Dana walked through the locker room, about to get ready to go home. Thinking about the day's events, she couldn't help but smile a giddy smile. Subaru wanted her for an ad campaign and, as Conrad had told her earlier, they loved her damn guts or whatever he had called it. The only thing that could wipe the smile from Dana's face was Lara, the sous chef, who, apparently, was straight, not gay as she had hoped. Though Dana still had the tiniest glimmer of hope, however foolish it even seemed to even herself, that the cute redhead was gay and, even more important, interested in her.

"And even if she was gay, there's no way she'd be interested in me," Dana told herself with a sigh.

"Then what about those vegetables and dipping sauces?" Another voice in her head spoke up. "Why does she keep on sending them?"

"She's just being nice, that's all."

"If she's just being nice, why does she send those vegetables solely to you?"

"Well, because..." Dana sighed. Why did Lara do that? Was the sous chef gay after all?

Shaking her head at that thought, Dana took a turn round the row where her locker was located. Her thoughts continued to run wild when suddenly a familiar voice addressed her. Lifting her head to see if she had heard right, Dana came face to face with the redheaded chef and her heart stopped as well as her breathing and she managed to utter a low "Hi". She felt a blush coming to her face and started to smile uncontrollably, taking in the sight of Lara wearing something else but the cute chef's uniform that suited her so well. Dana had to admit that Lara looked equally good in a denim jacket, jeans and a red top.

"So, did you hear from Subaru? Did you get it?" Lara asked with a smile.

Dana's smile broadened. "She remembered," she thought, while nodding to the questions. "I got it," she answered proudly.

The other woman's smile broadened in return. "Oh my God, that is fantastic. I knew you would."

Dana was flattered, wondering whether Lara was saying this just because that was something people said in situations like this or because she was genuinely happy for her.

"They're so lucky to have you," Lara said then, causing the tennis player to wonder whether she had heard something like longing in the redhead's voice. Maybe Lara did want her and was jealous on Subaru now.

"Oh, thanks," Dana answered with a huge grin, feeling the butterflies in her stomach and her heart thumbing in her chest.

Lara averted her eyes and shrugged. "Well, umm...goodnight," she said then, throwing one last look at Dana.

The tennis player nodded with a shy smile. "Goodnight."

With that the redheaded chef turned around and walked around the lockers, out of Dana's sight.

"What a waste," Dana thought with a disappointed sigh, watching the other woman leave.

Why couldn't the cute chef be gay? Why--if the chef was really straight--did she have to be so totally attracted to her? Once again her theory proved to be true: Whenever she was attracted to some woman, said woman turned out to be either unavailable or straight. The latter in Lara's case.

With another sigh Dana turned to open her locker. At least Mr.Piddles, her furry feline friend, would be waiting for her at home, though she somehow desired human company, preferably Lara's company. Just as she was about to turn the key in its lock, the brunette noticed a movement out of the corner of her eyes. Turning back around to see what was going on, Dana met the gaze of a very determined--yet somewhat nervous--looking Lara who was approaching her. The strange look in the other woman's eyes intimidated her and before she could get away, she found herself trapped between the lockers and Lara's body. Dana felt the heat radiating from Lara and began to get quite hot herself.

"What the hell is going on now?" the tennis player thought, holding her breath and feeling her franctically beating heart. The muscles in her stomach thightened.

The two women stared at each other in silence and after what seemed an eternity to Dana, Lara suddenly began to lean in.

"Is she going to...?" Before Dana had time to even finish the thought, her eyes fluttered close and her lips parted ever so slightly to accept the kiss from the redhead.

As soon as their lips met, Dana felt her knees go weak, her mind and body screamed in unison, demanding more of this sweet contact, but unfortunately it ended way too soon. Lara was pulling back again.

"Does she regret it already?" Dana wondered, unwilling to open her eyes, afraid Lara would be gone, but eventually she did, finding Lara's intense blue eyes staring right back at her.

With a slight blush covering her cheeks, the chef smiled. "Just in case you were still wondering," she whispered, pulling Dana out of her trance.

Dana felt really giddy and exited all of a sudden and continued to watch Lara, biting her lower lip to keep the silly smile away. With another sweet smile the chef turned and began to leave for the second time that evening, only this time she didn't go far, but turned towards Dana almost instantly. Watching the questioning look on the other woman's face, Dana realized--quite mortified--that she had grabbed a hold of Lara's wrist.

"Oh, fuck, why did I do that?" the tennis player panicked, feeling the blush coming to her face. "When did I do that?"

Once again the two women stared at each other while Dana was trying to come up with something to say.

"Come on, say something," the brunette thought to herself, avoiding the taller woman's eyes. "Oh God, can the ground please open up and swallow me?"

But her silent plea wasn't answered and Dana found herself still face to face with a seemingly confused Lara.

"I-I, umm..." the tennis player began. "I, well, uh..." Unable to form any coherent sentence, Dana found her gaze drawn to Lara's slightly parted lips and she couldn't stop thinking about kissing her again. Before she had truly realized what she was doing, Dana pulled the other woman back, once again trapping herself between the redhead and the lockers.

"Kiss me again," she breathed hoarsely, dropping the washbag in her arms to the floor, ignoring the fact that its contents spilled out and all over the floor.

With a confidence she rarely ever felt off of the tennis court she cupped Lara's face and pulled her into another kiss. A sudden thud indicated that Lara had dropped her bag as well to place her hands onto Dana's flushed cheeks. The sudden passion that took control over their bodies caused both women to push into each other. Dana felt Lara open her mouth and took this as a sign to deepen the kiss. As their tongues explored, Dana wondered when she had last been kissed like that before and came to the conclusion that this was actually the first time she was kissed with that much passion. Smiling into the kiss, the tennis player found herself wanting more, much, much more. She found herself wanting Lara and moved her hands from the chef's cheeks to the back of her head, untying her ponytail.

"Oh my God, you're so beautiful," Dana whispered as the kiss broke, watching Lara's red hair framing her face.

Lara blushed slightly. "Thank you," she answered with a smile, running her thumbs over the smaller woman's cheeks.

Feeling desire run freely through her veins, Dana grabbed a hold of the chef's hands and placed them on her waist. Lara's eyes widened questioningly at that.

"What are you doing?" the redhead asked, her voice husky.

Dana couldn't help but smile exitedly, wrapping her arms around Lara's shoulders and pulling her in for yet another kiss. She wanted Lara with every fibre of her being and she wasn't going to leave the locker room before her desire for her was stilled. Feeling the chef's grip tighten around her waist, Dana placed on last peck on her lips before starting to trail her lips along her jawline and neck. As she was busy sucking and nipping her neck, she felt Lara's racing pulse against her lips. Suddenly a low moan escaped the redhead's lips, telling Dana that the other woman was willing to go further. Keeping her lips busy on Lara's neck, the tennis player began to trail her hands to the collar of her denim jacket.

"Take it off," Dana whispered against Lara's skin and felt the taller woman shiver.

Lara stepped back a little, the sudden, unexpected motion causing Dana to look up.

"Shit, I shouldn't have said that," the brunette panicked, trying to look at anything but Lara.

Preparing for the worst, Dana looked up eventually. Lara stood there, holding her jacket in her hand, smiling a teasing smile.

"Better?" the redhead asked, tossing the jacket to the floor.

Dana nodded with a goofy smile, taking in the sight of Lara in her red fine rib tank top. Hooking her fingers in the belt loops of Lara's jeans, the tennis player pulled the other woman to herself again. The action seemed to take Lara by surprise and she was barely able to stop herself from crashing into the smaller woman by extending her arms, slamming them into the lockers on each side of Dana's head.

"Easy, Dana," the chef said, chuckling.

Dana blushed ever so slightly, watching the glimmer in Lara's blue eyes. "I can't help it," she replied, tugging at the belt loops of the taller woman's jeans, needing to be as close to her as possible.

Lara complied, brushing up against the tennis player while still bracing herself on her forearms. "You do realize that you're driving me crazy with what you're doing?" she asked in a low whisper, raising her brows.

"I did realize that," Dana replied, slowly moving her hands under Lara's tank top and up her body, causing the redhead to draw in a sharp breath.

Smiling at the sound, the tennis player pulled the tank top up and off Lara's body to reveal her bare breasts. Suddenly Lara's hands were on her shoulders, trailing down her sides until they reached the belt of her bath robe. Dana held her breath as Lara began to untie the knot. The chef took her time, causing Dana to shiver in anticipation.

"Please," the brunette pleaded, biting her lower lip to keep herself from whimpering.

Finally the knot was undone and the bath robe opened slightly, revealing a glimpse of Dana's body. Lara grinned at the sight, moving her hands under the robe. As soon as the redhead's hands came into contact with her skin, Dana had to close her eyes, letting out a soft moan. She felt Lara pulling the robe off her shoulders, sliding it down her body and letting it hang loosely between her back and the lockers.

"One step forward and I'm totally naked," Dana thought, finding the prospect of it very arousing.

Unable to control her desire any longer, Dana ran her fingertips over Lara's flushed skin, feeling her hardened nipples. Lara sighed, closing her eyes, her body slightly falling forward. Pleased by that reaction, Dana hooked a finger in Lara's black leather belt, pulling the taller woman's hips closer. The chef opened her eyes again, watching Dana with a very aroused look. Dana returned the look with a grin and opened Lara's belt. The redhead looked down, watching the smaller woman's hands as they unzipped and unbuttoned her jeans. Having opened the jeans, the tennis player grinned at Lara before slipping her right hand into the jeans and panties. Lara gasped when Dana began stroking her clit, tumbled forward and pressed her body up against the other woman, burying her head in Dana's shoulder. Dana shivered when her skin came into contact with Lara's skin and wrapped her free arm around her back to steady Lara. Continuing to work her magic inside the chef's pants, she felt Lara's hot, ragged breath on her neck as the other woman moaned and sighed in pleasure. Brushing up against the tennis player, Lara slammed one hand against the lockers, trying to find something to hold onto, while wrapping the other arm around the smaller woman. They continued to grind their hips together until Lara's back suddenly arched. The redhead let out a loud grunt and sank back against Dana, slowly slumping down on her knees. Dana smiled proudly, bringing her fingers to her lips, feeling Lara's forehead on her stomach. Licking her fingers, she suddenly felt the chef's hands on her hips and when she looked down, meeting Lara's blue eyes, she noticed the weird grin on the other woman's lips.

"It's your turn now," Lara whispered, sending shivers of anticipation down Dana's body. "Lean back and enjoy."

The brunette did as she was asked, tilting her head backwards and closing her eyes. She held her breath as the redhead pulled her bath robe down completely.

"Oh, God, Lara," Dana moaned. "You're driving me insane."

Lara chuckled. "I know."

Dana couldn't stop herself from moaning out loud when Lara's wet tongue started flicking her clit.

-

"Do you always do this?" Lara asked, sitting with her back against the lockers--fully dressed again--her head resting on Dana's shoulder.

Wondering what the other woman was talking about, Dana raised her brows. "Do I always do what?"

Lara chuckled. "Playing innocent and shy around other women, just to jump them in the right moment?"

Dana blushed a deep crimson. She still couldn't believe that she had kissed Lara, let alone had sex with her, in the country club's locker room, where anyone could have discovered them. "No, I usually don't do anything if I'm attracted to anyone," she said sincerely. "I don't know what made me do this."

Once again the redhead chuckled, snuggling into the other woman. "You know, I don't really care about what it was that made you jump me. All I care about is that you did and that I really, really enjoyed it."

At Lara's words Dana felt a sudden confidence settle within herself. " So, uh, there's this, umm, there's this karaoke night at The, uh, at The Planet and I haven't decided if I'm wanting to go, so, uh, if you'd like to go there with me..."

Feeling Lara lifting her head off her shoulder, Dana turned to look at the other woman, waiting for her answer.

"Is that some kinda date then?" the chef asked, her blue eyes sparkling.

Dana blushed ever so slightly. "Some kinda, uh, some kinda date, yeah. If you want to call it that," she said, smiling a shy smile.

Lara nodded. "I want to call it that."

--

Walking through The Planet's doors, Dana couldn't help but notice how weird and yet great that day had been. She had woken up in the morning, wondering about the deal with Subaru, whether she'd get it, wondering about Lara, whether she was gay, and now, as the day was coming to its end, she found herself having it all. Subaru wanted her for their newest ad campaign and Lara, well, the sous chef was gay and attracted to her.

"How come I have never heard of this place?" Lara asked, pulling Dana out of her reverie.

The tennis player turned towards the other woman and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you've been too busy cooking those delicious meals at the country club."

Lara nodded her head at that, grinning. "Yeah, maybe that's it," she said, wrapping on arm around the smaller woman's waist.

Dana couldn't help but smile at the subtle gesture, wrapping her arm around Lara in return. As they made their way through The Planet, Dana spotted Shane at the bar in the patio and decided to go and say hi.

"Umm, would you mind if we went to say hi to my friend there at the bar?" she asked.

Lara shook her head. "No, I wouldn't mind to meet your friend," she said. "Is that one of the girls that were checking me out yesterday?"

Dana blushed at the mention of that event. "Yeah, it's one of them."

Shane seemed to be deep in thought for she didn't look up when Dana and Lara sat down next to her.

"Hey, Shane, is everything okay?" Dana asked, somewhat concerned.

Shane looked up, smiling a small smile at her athletic friend. "Yeah, I'm fine, but what are you doing here? Alice told me, you didn't want to come."

Dana felt that Shane was hiding something, but she didn't want to make her talk about things she apparently didn't want to talk about. "I'm on a date," she told the black haired woman with a grin.

Shane raised her brows. "On a date? Really?"

Dana nodded. "Yes, on a date."

"That's great, Dana. It's important for you to move on after you found out about your chef being straight." Shane said, rubbing Dana's back.

"I'm not straight," Lara spoke up. "Definitely not straight."

Watching the surprised look on her friend's face as she noticed Lara sitting there, Dana started to laugh.

"You're gay?" Shane asked, watching the redhead with wide eyes.

Lara nodded, smiling an amused smile. "Totally gay."

Shane shook her head, returning to her former position, staring at the empty glass in front of herself.

Deciding to let her go, Dana returned her attention to the adorable chef. "So, Lara," she began, moving closer to the other woman. "What would you like to drink?"

Lara smiled, leaning towards the brunette until their foreheads were touching. "How about you tell me where the bathroom is and get us two beers while I go there?"

Dana giggled, pointing towards the door to The Planet's unisex bathroom. "See the door there next to the bar inside?" she asked at which Lara nodded her head. "That's the bathroom."

"Thank you," Lara said, getting up and pulling Dana in for a brief kiss before walking off.

The tennis player watched her go, still not really able to believe what they had done in the locker room earlier that evening. Recalling the feeling of Lara's skin, she blushed. Just as she was about to get up to get their drinks, Dana noticed Alice coming towards the bar.

"Oh, great, she looks like she has some big news to share," Dana thought, shaking her head at her friend who was a total gossip.

"Oh my God, guys, you will never believ who I just saw in the bathroom." Alice said, standing between Dana and Shane, her voice high pitched and excited.

"As long as it wasn't Gabby Deveaux shoving her tongue down your throat," Shane replied, sounding quite pissed.

"Gabby Deveaux?" Dana asked, wondering if Alice was about to get back together with that woman who would surely end up breaking her heart once again. "Is she here?"

Shane nodded. "Yeah, Alice invited her," she said, throwing a cold glare at the blonde.

"I didn't invite her, Shane," Alice tried to defend herself. "I just told her that I might be here tonight, but, no, it wasn't Gabby."

"Then who did you see, Al?" Dana and Shane asked in unison.

Alice started to grin, wrapping one arm around Dana. "This might be especially interesting to you, Dane," she said.

"Why?" Dana wondered, raising her brows questioningly.

Alice chuckled. "I saw your cute, redheaded chef, though I doubt that she saw me. So, who knows, maybe she isn't as straight as she's letting on, huh?"

Dana shrugged, not wanting to tell Alice about her date with Lara, knowing that, if she did, Alice wouldn't stop asking questions. "So?" she asked, playing indifferent.

"How can you even ask?" Alice wondered, seemingly falling for the brunette's acting. "When she comes out of the bathroom, you go over to her, talk to her and charm her. You know, if she comes here..." Suddenly Alice stopped mid-sentence, pointing towards the bathroom door. "There she is. Now go get her." With that she grabbed Dana by the shoulders and pushed her towards where Lara was standing.

Making her way over to Lara, Dana came up with a plan which would--she was sure of that--cause Alice's eyes to literally pop out of their sockets. Meeting Lara's gaze, she felt a smile coming to her face, her heart starting to beat faster.

"Slight change of plans," she said as she had reached the redhead.

"What?" Lara asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"I'll tell you later, just play along now," Dana said, knowing that Alice was watching them from the patio.

As she had done earlier that evening, she cupped Lara's face in her hands and pulled her in for a kiss.


End file.
